€25.7 million for Europe's return to space: ATMOS Space Cargo

The space startup ATMOS Space Cargo has closed a Series A financing round of 25.7 million euros. The round was co-led by Balnord and Expansion with participation from European Innovation Council, OTB Ventures and High-Tech Gründerfonds, among others.

The Lichtenau-based company develops reusable transportation and re-entry systems for orbit and thus addresses a gap in the European space infrastructure: the safe return transport of materials, data and hardware from space.

From demonstration to regular operation

Following a successful test flight of the PHOENIX 1 system in 2025(we reported), ATMOS is now taking the next step. With three planned PHOENIX 2 missions, the company wants to establish a regular, commercial return infrastructure for the first time. The spacecraft are designed to pick up payloads from Low Earth Orbit (LEO), operate autonomously and return them to Earth in a controlled manner. The aim is to turn individual demonstrations into a scalable, recurring service.

CEO Sebastian Klaus emphasizes that this phase is crucial to give Europe independent access to orbital return missions.

Technology for precise and sustainable re-entries

The core of the technology is an innovative re-entry system based on an inflatable heat shield (Inflatable Atmospheric Decelerator). This acts simultaneously as a brake and protective shield, reduces material losses and enables precise return of the payload.

Depending on the mission, the vehicles can remain in orbit for several hours to months. The first recovery operations are planned in the Azores.

Growing demand for orbital logistics

As the use of space increases, so does the need for reliable transportation solutions, particularly for research, industry and security-relevant applications. ATMOS is positioning itself here as a full-stack provider. The company covers the entire mission cycle, from transportation to operation and return.

At the same time, the team is already working on the next generation. PHOENIX 3 will be able to transport payloads around ten times larger and is aimed at larger industrial and institutional missions.

Strategic building block for Europe's space sector

ATMOS intends to use the new funding to further develop its systems, carry out initial operational missions and establish an independent European infrastructure for access to and return from orbit in the long term. The topic is also becoming increasingly important in geopolitical terms: sovereign space capabilities are increasingly seen as the key to Europe's technological independence and economic competitiveness. We already reported on a major grant for Atmos Space Cargo on Startbase at the beginning of 2025.